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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fine — high quality
  5. drill — army training
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. fine — all right
  13. capital — a city
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. chest — a box
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com